Are you familiar with the children's literature series "Harry Potter"? Thanks to this series, which has also been made into movies, there's a bird that has become very popular. It's Snowy Owl at Ural Owl enclosure in Tama Zoo.

Wild Snowy Owl inhabit the Arctic region and primarily prey on rodents called lemmings and small birds.

At the zoo, the animals are primarily fed mice, along with horse meat and chicken heads. When the breeding season begins, the food is thrown as close to the males as possible. Why? The reason is to facilitate "courtship feeding," where the male presents food (mice) to the female. It is believed that the bond between the male and female deepens through these gifts.

The breeding of Snowy Owl, which live in the Arctic Circle, is affected by the "midnight sun," when the sun does not set. Therefore, zoos turn on nighttime lights from early February to artificially create the midnight sun.


On the right is the female, "Kimi." On the left is the male, "Thor."
This year, Kimi (7 years old), a female owl in the room on the far right of Ural Owl enclosure, laid an egg. She smacking her beak and threateningly attacks anyone animal keeper walks near her. However, she doesn't seem to be as aggressive towards visitors. Why is that? We animal keeper try to avoid entering the animal enclosure as much as possible once egg-laying begins, but we still sometimes go to check on the eggs in the nest, so we think she's wary of us. Also, when I changed into animal keeper clothes and walked near her, she didn't threaten me at all, so she might be distinguishing us by our work clothes.

We have currently confirmed five eggs. If all goes well, we should be able to see healthy chicks in early May. Please look forward to it!

[Tama Zoo, Tama Zoological Park]

(April 26, 2019)